212 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



32°, although for a week the air outside might 

 continue even colder than this, yet it would be 

 found at the end of that period that the heat 

 from the ground-floor would have warmed the 

 internal air considerably above 32°. It is there- 

 fore a mistake to sink into the earth for coolness 

 in winter. Of course, in summer, if the air 

 were at say 80°, and the earth at 50°, the latter, 

 instead of giving, would abstract heat from the 

 air, and the apartment would be cooler than if 

 built on the surface. But in order that the 

 fruit-room may be cool in winter, it should be 

 insulated as much as possible from the constant 

 source of heat existing in the earth. 



Vicissitudes of temperature have very injurious 

 effects on the keeping of fruit. When fruit is 

 warmer than the surrounding air it is liable to 

 shrivel; when much colder, a deposition of dew 

 takes place on its surface, just as a cold mirror 

 becomes dimmed with dew when brought into 

 a warm room. In the commencement of cold 

 or frosty weather the fruit will be found dry, 

 because warmer than the air; but when the 

 thaw comes with comparatively warm south- 

 west winds, the fruit will be found colder than 

 the air, and covered with moisture. The alter- 

 nate wetting and drying of the fruit, arising from 

 vicissitudes of temperature, must be guarded 

 against as much as possible, by endeavouring 

 to maintain the greatest possible uniformity 

 of temperature. The walls should therefore be 

 hollow, and it has been shown that such can be 

 built at less expense than solid ones. Fruit - 

 rooms already constructed with solid walls ought 

 to be lined with wood, leaving J -inch cavity 

 between the lining and wail; indeed a lining of 

 this description is to be recommended whether 

 the walls are hollow or not. The roof should 

 have a double ceiling. 



It has generally been considered that fruit 

 keeps best in darkness, and some of the finest 

 specimens of Apples and Pears which have been 

 exhibited in the spring were so kept; on the 

 other hand, equally good fruit has been shown 

 that was kept exposed to light. It has been 

 frequently observed, however, that the finest 

 specimens of Apples and Pears, when placed 

 opposite a window, soon acquire a much inferior 

 appearance to that presented by those left in 

 the dark, and it would therefore appear that 

 full exposure to light is not favourable. 



Fig. 273 is an interior view, and fig. 274 a 

 section of a fruit-room which combines all these 

 conditions. The construction of the room will 

 be understood from the following explanation : 

 — a a, shelves ; b, close boarding round the sides 



of the room; c, air-space between the boards 

 and the wall. There is also an air-space on the 

 north side, between the two plaster ceilings, as 



Fig. 273.— Fruit -room (interior view). 



shown in fig. 274, in which d is a tove; e, a 

 circular window hung on pivots, and fitted with 

 a roller-blind ; /, partitions of open work similar 

 to the shelves. Such a room may be constructed 



Fruit-room (section). 



over a coach-house or other unheated structure, 

 but for keeping the fruit in good condition for 

 a long period it is better to build it on or slightly 

 below the ground-level. The small stove need 

 only be used when the temperature of the room 

 falls below freezing, cr on a dry day, in order to 

 speedily remove any damp arising from the 

 fruit, air being freely admitted by the side 

 window at the same time. Whether open or 

 shut, the window should be always covered 

 with the roller-blind. 



Mr. Rivers, who exhibited in the spring of 1869 

 a collection of Apples in admirable condition, both 

 as regards appearance and flavour, thus describes 

 the circumstances under which they were kept : — 

 " My fruit-room was built in 1761 by my great- 

 grandfather. It is an arched cellar, 40 feet long, 

 12 feet wide, and 7 J feet high. It was originally 



